


Flip a Coin

by Pixelfun20



Series: Captainball! [5]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bucky Barnes Is a Good Bro, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Dunno How Much I'll Write, F/M, Families of Choice, Gen, Grief/Mourning, I kinda want to make this challenge a thing, It basically makes them the most valuable ppl in this AU, Moving On, Natasha Romanoff Makes Good Life Decisions, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, POV Peter Quill, POV Steve Rogers, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Quill Feels, Plot Armor Doesn't Exist, Protective Natasha Romanov, Protective Steve Rogers, Scott Lang is a Good Bro, So do Rhodey and Everett Ross, Steve Rogers Feels, The Snap Challenge, The Snap is Actually Random, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:28:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21683755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixelfun20/pseuds/Pixelfun20
Summary: When Thanos snapped his fingers in Infinity War, he randomly killed off half the universe—except, not really. Of course, the Russos made sure that the original six Avengers survived because they needed to return in Endgame. Pepper lived so she and Tony could have a family. The Barton's died to give Clint a reason to rejoin the Avengers. Etc, etc, etc.But what if this plot armor was taken away? What if the Snap was actually random?I took a list of all the major characters from the MCU and flipped a coin. Heads, they survived the Snap. Tails, they didn't. This story is the result.If anyone else wants to try this challenge, let me know!
Relationships: Clint Barton/Laura Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes & Sam Wilson, Laura Barton & Natasha Romanov, Nebula & Peter Quill, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Scott Lang/Hope Van Dyne, Steve Rogers & Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov
Series: Captainball! [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1443709
Comments: 41
Kudos: 102





	1. 50/50

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in four days after having an epiphany Sunday afternoon. Y'all better like this.
> 
> If any of you are interested in the template I used, comment below and I'll post it in the next chapter. This challenge is open to anyone who wants to try it out; just credit me and use "The Snap Challenge" tag. We'll see if this actually catches on.

When Steve came to, there was a long, breathless silence throughout the forest.

He grunted, trying to dispel the headache ripping through his head, and rolled over as he struggled to stand up. What had just happened? He’d fought Thanos, been hit in the head… he must’ve been knocked out for the rest of the battle, because now there was silence. 

A hand went to his side, which ached from getting hit, but other than that Steve was able to stand up and take some unsteady steps, gaining strength as went. He caught sight of Thor through the undergrowth (when had he arrived? And why was he staring into nothing?), and pushed through it to reach him. The Asguardian stood in a small clearing, breathing heavily as he stared at where his axe lay at his feet, discarded on the grass. Thanos was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’d he go?” Steve asked, unsure if they had won or not. He couldn’t have been out for longer than a few minutes; had Wanda succeeded in destroying the Mind Stone? He looked around, and saw Vision's body only a few meters away, gray and sans the Mind Stone… but it looked as if it had been forcibly removed not destroyed. Wanda was collapsed at the base of a nearby tree—Steve couldn’t tell if she was still alive from the distance. “Thor.” His old friend finally looked up at him, and his scarred gaze was all the answer Steve needed. “ _ Where’d he go _ ?”

“I didn’t go for the head,” Thor said quietly. He said nothing more, just held Steve’s gaze in a sort of tragic dissociation. As Steve watch, Thor’s legs dissolved into dust, soon followed by his torso and then the rest of his body. The dust fell where the Asguardian had stood as Steve watched on in horror, unable to do anything to help. 

“Steve?”

Bucky’s voice seemed far away as Steve stumbled forwards to where Thor had stood just seconds earlier, reaching down to touch the now dusty grass. Bucky caught up to him a moment later, standing behind him, no doubt watching his six as he always had. The action was intimate and familiar, and Steve latched on to it, trying to compose himself and be the leader the Avengers needed. 

“Steve,” he repeated. “What happened?”

_ We lost,  _ Steve thought, but he couldn’t find the words to actually say the words out loud. He stood back up numbly, turning towards Bucky. His friends’ face fell, seeming to understand what had just happened.

“We need to find Sam,” he said urgently, but so quietly that Steve could hardly hear him. This whole situation seemed to demand reverence. “And Nat.”

Steve nodded softly, but couldn’t find the energy to move. Bucky simply laid a hand on his shoulder, letting it linger there for a moment. Then he rushed off back into the undergrowth, calling out Sam’s name as he went.

Wanda’s body shifted, drawing Steve’s eyes towards her as he waited with bated breath for her too to dissolve into dust. But she remained corporeal and  _ there, _ pulling herself into a kneel and staying there, shaking. It took him a moment, but Steve realized that she was crying. 

Something broke inside of him, replacing shock with adrenaline. Steve finally found the motivation to move again, hurrying towards her. Wanda looked up as he approached, tears marking clear tracks down her cheeks. Steve said nothing, simply holding out a hand. She took it, standing shakily as he pulled her into an embrace.

“I did it,” she whispered into his uniform. “I killed him. Thanos just brought him back and took the stone anyways.”

Her voice broke Steve’s heart. He thought of standing in Camp Lehigh’s bunker and learning of not only HYDRA’s survival, but the pointlessness of his own sacrifice. They had given it their all, but in the end they had never stood a chance.

“I know,” was all he could say. What else was there to say? How could he comfort her, when half of the universe was falling away around them?

The Avengers had lost.

And they hadn’t even lost together.

Steve wasn’t sure how long they’d stayed like that—only a few moments, most likely—with Wanda just crying into his shirt, but footsteps indicated an approach. Steve looked up to see Natasha, unharmed any more than he’d last seen walking towards him, Banner—now out of the Hulkbuster armor—at her heels. Unlike her, he was notably favoring his left leg. But he let out a sigh of relief with their confirmed survival. Injured or no, they had won the coin flip.

“Who else?” He asked, and Wanda sobbed harder. 

“None I saw,” she said. “But Rhodey can’t find Sam. Bucky’s helping him look.”

Steve just sighed, guiding Wanda to a fallen tree, where she could sit.

“Thor and Vision are gone,” he reported. Wanda finally let him go and sat down, putting her head in her hands as she struggled to breathe. Unsure of what else to do, he kept a hand on her shoulder.

“Captain Rogers!” Steve turned, knowing from the accent alone that the newcomer approaching was T’Challa. The king had taken off his helmet, but the alarmed expression on his face was almost the exact opposite of his usual confidence and sereness. “General Okoye…” He trailed off, running a hand through his stubbled hair. 

Steve nodded as the king trailed off. Another casualty, added to the list.

They sat there in silence for a time, the only sounds coming from Wanda as she tried to compose herself. Natasha sat next to her, rubbing her back, as Banner shifted nervously.

“I must find my sister,” T’Challa broke the tension, beginning to compose herself. “As well as my mother and M’Baku. I can give you all shelter as we try to figure out our next steps.”

As he spoke, Steve looked up to see Rhodey and Bucky returning. Sam wasn’t with them, and Rhodey was delicately holding his left arm. Bucky shook his head at them, and Natasha sucked in a long breath and held it. 

“Yes,” Steve announced, looking around. They were in no condition to be going out into the wider world at that moment. “I think we’ll take you up on that.”

They had lost, and now they had to pay the price. The world would be in chaos now, and someone would have to stand up to make sure no more people than necessary died.

Broken and defeated they may be, the world still needed the Avengers.

* * *

Titan rumbled unsteadily as Peter tried to stand up. Mantis held out a helping hand before his face, and Peter took it gratefully. He hauled himself to his feet, and for a moment swayed dangerously before regaining his balance. Mantis looked over at him, silent questioning his health, and Peter nodded an affirmation. He could stand on his own.

Stark grunted in pain a few meters away as Strange helped him to his feet. Nearby Nebula strode over to meet them, Drax next to her. Parker, on the other hand, seemed the least hurt out of all of them, and was hurrying to Stark’s side. The aftermath of the fight hadn’t been pretty, but at least, besides Stark, none of them were seriously injured.

Then Mantis stiffened, drawing Peter’s attention back to her.

“Something is happening,” she announced, horror crossing he features. Then she was gone, disintegrating into dust in a matter of seconds.

Peter stared at the place where his friend had just been standing in shock as he heard Parker whimper in the background, asking what had just happened. He looked over at Drax, who only stared back with a look of utmost surprise as he, too, turned into dust on the wind. A cold realization seeped into his bones as Peter looked back to the group in disbelief, already knowing what had happened.

Stark seemed to have the same idea. “Steady, Quill,” he said, raising a hand to try and calm him. But he had quite the opposite effect, as just a moment later, the same hand also began to turn to dust. His eyes widened in fear, then acceptance, and he turned to Parker. “Peter, keep Pep—” But whatever he said was cut off as the rest of his body faded into dust. Only broken segments of his armor were left behind, and without its master it collapsed into a pile of nanobots.

Parker audibly whimpered, clutching onto Strange as the man put a hand on his shoulder. He looked to be on the precipice of a panic attack, and looked up at the elder man in terror.

“Peter,” Strange said softly, and his eyes flickered to Quill, who realized with a start that he was speaking to both of them. “It was the only way. Trust me.”

And then Strange was gone as well.

Some of the dust settled on Parker, who stumbled back and fell down, gasping for air. He looked up at Peter and Nebula as dust began to fleck off of his own body, joining Stark’s and Strange’s in the wind. He seemed to realize what was happening when they did, clutching his hands to his chest. 

“I don’t wanna go I don’t wanna go I need to take care of Pepper and May Tony  _ asked _ me—” He dissolved into mumbled ramblings as more and more of his body fell apart. Peter Quill found himself frozen in horror, unable to move, as Peter Parker, much more slowly and painfully than anyone else, curled in on himself, then faded away.

Then there was silence.

Peter looked down at his shaking hands, then over at Nebula. Would either of them be next? Catching his gaze, the assassin seemed to sense his question, and shook her head. 

“It is finished," she said, defeated and toneless. "Thanos has won.”

* * *

It was almost four hours before Steve finally had a moment to rest after those traumatic moments in the forest.

As he expected, Wakanda was in chaos after losing half their population. T’Challa’s presence had calmed the situation somewhat, but Shuri had been killed by Thanos, as had been his mother, the Queen, and more than half of the Wakandan army, leaving his kingship fragile. The Outriders, though now leaderless and their numbers halved, still caused havoc in the battlefield, and their ships, still swarming with them, had had to be bombed into oblivion. Steve, Bucky, and Natasha had gone out to help with the cleanup, while Banner and Rhodey went to try and salvage Shuri’s lab and Wanda was whisked away to the infirmary.

It was cathartic, almost, to go out with the army and scout out the battlefield. He, Bucky, and Natasha spilt up, dispatching Outrider after Outrider first on foot and then on a hoverbike, until their numbers dwindled to nearly nothing. The fighting allowed him to keep his mind off of Vision’s body and Thor’s dissolution, how the rest of the world would be faring and what had happened to Tony and that Queens kid. This he knew. This he could in.

But even his body couldn’t last forever.

As the sun began to set, Steve’s exhaustion finally caught up to him. After dispatching of two more Outriders sulking near the energy barrier, he had to take a moment and sit down on his bike, taking deep breaths as he fought to dispel the aching of his legs.

The hum of another hoverbike caught his attention as Steve looked up to see Natasha riding over to meet him. She looked terrible, with her hair frizzy, dirty, and tangled, but then again, Steve probably did, too. He sat up once she reached him, the setting sun sending golden rays across the plains.

Natasha got off her bike without a greeting, simply looking up at him with her signature “Black Widow” expression. Steve sighed.

“Who else?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Nick Fury and Pepper Potts.” She replied, voice shaky. She sounded as if she was on the verge of tears, and that immediately set off alarm bells in Steve’s head. Even after their defeat and learning of Sam and Thor’s deaths, she hadn’t been this emotional. “Clint didn’t make it, either.”

_ Oh, no _ … And the grief was back again. Fury and Pepper were hard blows, but Clint was an  _ Avenger _ , a close friend with a wife and three kids who hadn’t wanted to be in any part of this. Steve had to close his eyes then and try to center himself.

“His family?” He finally asked.

“They’re shaken, but fine.” Natasha said, and a weight lifted off of Steve’s shoulders. At least the children were safe.

“Have you heard from Scott yet?”

Natasha shook her head. “He’s missing; his tracker was taken off at some point and his house empty. At first we thought he was a casualty, but then Bruce found some footage of him and some other people driving to a parking garage fifteen minutes before we lost. So as of right now, we don’t know.” She paused for a moment, then looked up at him, eyes softening. “We need to call it in for the night. Get some sleep and figure things out in the morning.”

Steve sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently. 

“You’re going to have to face the team eventually,” Natasha added, just a hint of sternness in her voice. Steve made as if to protest, but it died in his throat. She was right. But how could he face Wanda and the rest of the team, having lead them into a massacre? “And I’m going to be honest, they need a leader right now; not the mess both of us are. So how about we get debriefed, take a shower, and sleep on this for an hour or two?”

He wanted to protest, but in all honesty Steve’s legs felt like jelly and at this point he wasn’t even sure if he could make it back to the palace.

“Did Bucky already call it in?” He asked.

“Rhodey had to drag him back,” Natasha answered dryly. “I got sent to do the same to you if your don’t cooperate, and you know I’ll do it.”

“You both are terrible.”

“Steve, I’m the one on the team that makes good life decisions. It’s the one thing that makes me stand out; let me have this.”

Steve chuckled hoarsely. “Fine. I’ll need to meet with T’Challa soon, anyways.”

“Sleep first. Avenge later.” Natasha turned back to her bike and mounted it, looking back at him once we did so, fire in her eyes. “Whether you’re ready for it or not, Steve, I’m going to find Thanos, and the Avengers are going to live up to their name.”

“We will,” Steve agreed, getting back on his bike. He looked towards the horizon, where the sun cast rays of red across the sky. The very Earth seemed to be weeping for what she had lost. “Whatever it takes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably write more at some point. Let me know if you have any ideas!


	2. Regroup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the support on the first chapter! I definitely wasn't expecting all this feedback and I'll do my best to keep up a good posting schedule. Since so many of you seem interested, I've included the list of characters I flipped a coin for at the end of the chapter. If I missed anyone, let me know.
> 
> Also, go check out @DoctorSirenArt on Instagram! She posted two comics (one canon to this fic, one not) based off of Chapter 1. Go give her some love and let her know I sent you :-). It was an honor to get some art for this story.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.  _ This _ is the best tech you have? You don’t even have  _ translator implants _ !”

“I am Groot.”

“No, I will not calm down! I’m busy trying to figure out if the rest of our team’s  _ still alive _ !”

Steve blinked several times as he opened the door to the Wakandan throne room, trying to figure out if the raccoon waving a gun around and the talking tree were actually there. Then he remembered that yes, aliens existed, and decided that this wasn’t the weirdest thing he had seen in his life or even the last 48 hours. Instead, he turned his attention to T’Challa, who was sitting in his throne with a hologram projected in front of him. A large man dressed in animal furs stood just behind him, and it took Steve a moment to remember that the man’s name was M’Baku. He'd met the man only briefly, just before the Battle of Wakanda. Rhodey was there as well, having taken the seat to T'Challa's left. He, too, was scrolling through a hologram displaying several faces.

T’Challa looked up as he entered, looking more than a little relieved. A bruise was forming on his left cheek, and it looked like he hadn’t slept at all the night before. Steve wasn’t surprised at that; while he’d caught a couple hours, T’Challa was king and had a responsibility to help his people.

“Ah, Captain Rogers,” he said. M’Baku’s eyes flickered over to him, and Steve found himself caught under a tired, wary stare. “I was hoping you would come. We have news.”

“Have you heard from any of our allies?” Steve asked. Rhodey motioned for him to take the seat next to him as the raccoon muttered something not to be heard by minors and Groot shot an “ _ I am Groot _ ” back at him in annoyance.

“We found Scott,” Rhodey replied, and Steve let out a breath of relief. “He called in around two hours ago. He’s fine, as well as his daughter and some of his friends, but we lost Hank Pym. Happy Hogan—he’s checked in as well—is transporting them to the Compound for safety as we speak.”

“Everett Ross has also survived,” T’Challa said. Steve frowned for a moment, taking a moment to remember the CIA agent he’d met briefly during the Accords fiasco two years ago. "And he has taken ahold of what remains of the CIA. With Thaddeus Ross dusted, he can guarantee your safe return to the United States if you so desire."

Steve blinked, taken off-guard. He hadn’t been to the U.S. in almost eighteen months, not after Thaddeus Ross had almost caught him, Sam, and Nat checking in on the Bartons. The thought of going back so easily… it was jarring. He didn’t really know what to feel about it.

“Well, the good news is that I’m no longer getting court-martialed,” Rhodey commented dryly, turning off his holographic screen with a wave of the hand. “Have you seen anyone yet?”

“Nat, Bucky and I went to bed at around the same time,” Steve shrugged. “But we all have separate rooms. I didn’t see them when I got up. Bruce and Wanda?”

“Wanda’s stayed overnight in the infirmary, and they’ve just transferred her to her own room,” Rhodey reported back. “She’s messed up. Not that I blame her, but she’s not going to be doing much anytime soon. Bruce is still up in Shuri’s lab; I don’t think he slept.”

“Well, that’s all fine and  _ dandy _ ,” the raccoon spoke up again, drawing Steve’s attention back to it/him/whatever-their-pronouns-were. He definitely did not seem happy, still keeping a tight grip on the gun he’d been waving around haphazardly when Steve had first arrived. “But if you haven’t noticed, the universe is a whole lot bigger than your rock of a planet. I need to get off this primitive asteroid and you haven’t even developed  _ space travel _ !”

“Who are you?” Steve asked, tilting his head. The raccoon just swore back at him and flipped him off.

“I am Groot,” Groot muttered, rolling his eyes.

“That’s not the same!”

“I am  _ Groot _ .”

“Shut up!”

“Steve, that is Rocket Raccoon,” T’Challa explained as Groot and the raccoon’s disagreement dissolved into a heated argument, full of swear words and “ _ I am Groot _ ”s. “He was kind enough to explain to me earlier that he and Groot are aliens. The rest of his team, called the Guardians of the Galaxy, had separated from them and Thor to try and stop Thanos from getting the Reality stone. He’s been very… vocal about wanting to return to them.”

Steve decided that it was best not to mention that he doubted these  _ Guardians of the Galaxy _ had survived a fight against Thanos himself. Even if they had, they undoubtedly would have lost someone to the Snap.

“Apparently, the only thing Groot can say is ‘I am Groot,’” Rhodey put in, in a way that declared his general disbelief at the situation. Steve gave a little ‘ _ ah, _ ’ in response, not quite sure how to react to the answer.

The door opened again, and Steve looked up to see Bucky and Natasha enter. Nat’s eyes lingered on Groot and Rocket for a moment in surprise, but Bucky simply shot Steve a look that screamed ‘ _ I’m too old for this, _ ’ and sat down next to him.

“Sleep well?” Steve asked, more rhetorically than anything. His old friend rolled his eyes.

“Oh, yes,” he replied with a roll of the eyes. “Like a baby.”

“What’s going on here?” Natasha asked as Rocket and Groot’s argument finally seemed to calm down. Steve related what Rhodey and T’Challa had told him, and her nodding eventually turned into a single raised eyebrow when he got to explaining Groot and Rocket.

“Alright, everyone’s caught up,” Rocket quipped once he finished, crossing his arms. “Can someone please explain what exactly you all plan to do next? ‘Cause half the universe is still dead and  _ I need to get off-planet _ !”

“I think it would be a good idea to get back to the States,” Natasha said after a brief moment of silence. “The world is in chaos, and they need someone to lead them. The place with the most resources would be at the compound: Scott and the Bartons are already going there, Stark’s tech may have something space-related, and if Everett Ross is willing to help us, then I don’t see why not.”

“That’s good reasoning,” Steve conceded, glancing over at Rhodey and T’Challa.

“This is your discussion,” the king replied to his unasked question. “I am Wakanda’s king; my place is here, with my people. There is much to be done.”

“Again, not getting court-martialed,” Rhodey said. “I’m going to get called home sooner or later. Probably sooner.”

“If this Stark guy has space tech, we’re going with you,” Rocket finished.

“I am Groot,” Groot grumbled.

“I don’t care if the trees here are nice! We’re finding the team!”

“How does he even communicate?” Natasha muttered, low enough that only Steve and Bucky heard him. The latter of them shrugged. The motion caught Steve’s eye, and he glanced over at his friend, slightly worried for him. Bucky’s forehead had furrowed a bit in thought, and he wasn’t meeting Steve’s gaze.

“What about you, Buck?” he asked. “This decision is yours, too.”

Bucky was quiet for a long moment, blinking uncomfortably as the room’s attention turned to him.

"If T’challa will have me…" he started out slowly, but as he spoke Bucky seemed to gain confidence in his words, sitting up in his chair. "I'm going to stay here. The West doesn't exactly have the best opinion of me, and in all honesty I think I'd be more help in Wakanda. And…" He glanced over at T’Challa. "I don't know what you have planned, but if you're organizing anything for Shuri, I'd like to be there. I owe her a lot."

T’Challa nodded. "We would be honored," he said, voice husky. Steve felt a pang of grief at his words; he'd lost friends, yes, but T’Challa had lost his family. 

"Sounds good, then," Steve said, patting his old friend on the arm. Bucky smiled back at him, obviously relieved at not being judged. In all honesty, Steve wasn't surprised with his decision. He'd only been in contact with Bucky intermittently through the last two years, and in the meantime the man had formed many attachments to the people of Wakanda. "We'll leave by evening, then, if that's alright with you, T'Challa."

"As you wish," the king replied with a small bow of the head. And was it just Steve, or did M’Baku seem a little too happy at the decision of most of them to leave?

Well, no matter. Steve stood, and the other foreigners in the room followed.

“I’ll go get Bruce,” Natasha said. “And see what he wants to do. You better see to Wanda, Steve. You know her best, and she needs some help after all this.”

“I’ll do what I can,” The super-soldier agreed, just as his stomach growled lowly. Nat smiled teasingly at him, and Bucky chuckled as Steve blushed.

“The cafeteria is open and on your way,” T’Challa offered. Steve shook his head, and went to go eat.

* * *

“I’m not hungry.”

Wanda didn’t even bother looking up to Steve when he came in her room, carrying some mandazi and phutu (both African breakfast foods) in with him. She’d been treated since he’d last seen her, with a wrapping around her forehead and a couple bandages here and there, but didn’t sport any major injuries. The room she’d been given was also fairly well furnished, with a bed, nightstand, and dresser. Wanda herself was sitting curled on the bed, hair falling around her face and obscuring her eyes.

Steve set the food down on the nightstand and sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to find the right words to say.

“Natasha, Rhodey, and I are going back to the compound,” he said, leaning forwards and clasping his hands together. “Ross got dusted, so there was no one standing in the way of us getting pardoned by the UN.”

Wanda didn’t respond to that, just drawing closer in on herself. Steve sighed, staring down at his hands. He really was going to have to face her trauma, wasn’t he? She deserved as much. Steve sighed, and changed the subject.

“I died for nothing, you know,” he began, and with that he knew that he’d caught Wanda’s attention. “When I put that plane in the ice in 1945. Thought it was the only option I had at the time, but… Howard found the tesseract anyways, and it caused a lot of trouble for humanity down the line, as you can probably attest to.” He tried to give some semblance of a short laugh, but it came out more like a gasp. “HYDRA survived Schmidt’s death, even became more powerful by infiltrating SHIELD. I could have dropped the bombs in the arctic and piloted the plane to the states myself, but I didn’t know how to properly read a radar, much less pilot a plane. I died for nothing, Wanda, and for a long time I wished that SHIELD had just left me in the ice.”

He fell silent at the last admission, something that he had told no one but Sam in those eventful days after SHIELD fell. He remembered just sitting on his bed and staring at his hands like he was now, trying to figure out just what the hell he was doing in the 21st century, before Sam had showed up. Sam, who had stayed by his side through thick and thin and had given him a reason to continue living and helping others.

God, he missed Sam.

There was a long silence before Wanda finally spoke, voice raspy and thin in the morning air.

“How did you do it?” She asked, brushing back her hair so she could properly see him. Her eyes were red and puffy. 

Steve shrugged. “In all honesty, I don’t know. Sam had a big part in it; so did Natasha and my therapist. I found purpose in finishing what I’d started. And at some point I realized that I was enjoying life again.” He paused for a moment, then looked her in the eyes. “After all that, I like to believe that we’re all stronger than we think.”

They sat like that for a long time, both Avengers deep in thought. Then Wanda uncurled herself and grabbed a mandazi, biting into it and chewing slowly. She smiled softly and swallowed.

“It tastes good,” she remarked, then looked back at him, some light back in her eyes. “Thanks, Steve. I’ll go with you.”

* * *

“ _ Auntie Nat! _ ”

Steve paused in his steps as he walked down the Quinjet’s ramp. The dim, pale pink, dawn light of the rising sun cast long shadows across the landing pad. It was hardly six in the morning in New York, so Steve in all honesty was surprised when he saw Lila Barton (how old was she now? Ten? Eleven?) racing out to meet them, brown hair unkempt and eyes red. Almost immediately Natasha was racing to meet her, catching her in a run and holding her close in a tight embrace. 

Deep in his heart, Steve knew Clint would be happy with how the Snap turned out, as Laura came outside with Cooper and an unfamiliar woman on either side of her. Even though he’d been snapped, the rest of the Barton family had lived, and in the end Clint wouldn’t want to live without any of them at his side.

He stepped down and onto solid ground as Natasha whispered something to Lila and stood up to face Laura, who only smiled and gave her a hug. Cooper and the unfamiliar woman hung back as the other Avengers disembarked the Quinjet. Wanda, at Steve’s side, simply watched as Rhodey and Bruce followed Natasha’s lead, the latter greeting Laura timidly. To her credit, Laura only reacted to Bruce’s return with a smile and a handshake.

Rocket and Groot came next, the latter tapping away on a Nintendo he’d found on the trip to the States. The unknown woman’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head as they came into sight, but Rocket just rolled his eyes, too preoccupied with his companion to really are at the moment. Groot, too focused on the video game, didn’t even notice.

“Laura,” Steve greeted his friend’s wife, and she smiled, shaking his hand. “I’m so happy to see you and the kids safe.”

“We were lucky,” was her only reply, accompanied by a sad smile. But that was gone in a moment as she gestured to the other woman. “Steve, this is Hope van Dyne. She’s Scott’s girlfriend, and is known as the Wasp. Hope, this is Steve Rogers; you know who he is.”

“I’m basically Ant-Man, but cooler,” Hope said, eyes twinkling. Steve found himself smiling at that. “Pleasure to meet you. Sorry Scott isn’t here, but he and Cassie are sharing a bed, and he insisted I not wake her up before eight.” Her smile dropped a bit. “Cassie’s mother and stepfather were dusted, so she only has him.”

Steve nodded. “Have either of you heard from Tony yet?” He asked. “Or Everett Ross?”

Laura shook her head. “FRIDAY hasn’t heard anything since Stark left the planet,” she answered. “And there isn’t much news from Ross’s end yet, but I heard he and Hill have their hands full in D.C., trying to keep the government going. He’s pardoned you to allow the Avengers to help, but I don’t think either of them will be dropping by anytime soon.”

Steve nodded, looking over to where Natasha was talking with Lila and Cooper, then to Wanda and Bruce. 

“Well, we better get inside,” he announced. “We have work to do.”

“Wait, there’s a shooting star!” 

Lila’s voice cut through the air, and Steve’s head whipped up to the sky. Sure enough, there was a streak of gold cutting across the sky… much too bright to be natural.

_ Shit _ . Steve’s heart leapt into his throat as he shared a glance with Natasha. Another fight, so soon? They were all exhausted, emotionally and physically; could they even fight right now?

“Laura, get the kids inside,” Steve ordered, extending his gauntlets. Was this some crony of Thanos, sent to finish the job? He didn’t know, but Laura was quick to race over to her children, grabbing one with each hand and rushing inside, Bruce and Rhodey following. Wanda’s eyes turned red as her magic materialized in tendrils around her, while Natasha took out her electric batons and Hope pulled out a gun (where had she been keeping that?). Rocket nearly smacked Groot’s game out his hands, now looking more than happy to use the gun he’d been waving around in the Wakandan throne room.

Then there was nothing to do but wait as the streak of gold grew closer and closer, now obviously aimed right for them. Steve tensed as it approached, faster and faster until—

The light slammed into the landing pad, cracking the concrete and shaking the Quinjet. Steve fell into a fighting position as the light faded, revealing a human-looking woman with shoulder-length blond hair in a halo around her as the source of the light. She wore a red-and-blue bodysuit with a star in the middle of her chest. She stood up straight after landing, thankfully making no immediate move to attack. The light coming from her body faded until it was gone completely, leaving just a woman who looked to be in her late 20s watching them with an expression tinged with worry and apprehension.

For a long moment, there was silence. The woman’s eyes fell on each of them individually, and when she met Steve’s gaze, they seemed to flicker in recognition. Either way, she did not move any further, instead opening her mouth to speak.

“Where is Nick Fury?”

* * *

**Avengers: The Snap Challenge Template**

Heads: Lived

Tails: Dusted

**O6 Avengers:**

**Tony Stark:** Dusted

**Steve Rogers:** Lived

**Bruce Banner:** Lived

**Thor:** Dusted

**Natasha Romanoff:** Lived

**Clint Barton:** Dusted

**People on Titan:**

**Peter Parker:** Dusted

**Steven Strange:** Dusted

**Peter Quill:** Lived

**Drax:** Dusted

**Mantis:** Dusted

**Nebula:** Lived

**People in Wakanda:**

**Bucky Barnes:** Lived

**Sam Wilson:** Dusted

**Wanda Maximoff:** Lived

**James Rhodes:** Lived

**T’Challa:** Lived

**M’Baku** : Lived

**Shuri:** Dusted

**Okoye:** Dusted

**Rocket Raccoon:** Lived

**Groot:** Lived

**Other Heroes:**

_**Scott Lang:** Automatically Lives (Unaffected: Quantum Realm)_

**Hope Van Dyne:** Lived

**Hank Pym:** Dusted

**Janet Van Dyne:** Lived

**Carol Danvers:** Lived

**Nick Fury:** Dusted

**Maria Hill:** Lived

**Sharon Carter:** Dusted

**Civilians:**

**Pepper Potts:** Dusted

**Happy Hogan:** Lived

**May Parker:** Dusted

**M.J.:** Lived

**Ned Leeds:** Lived

**Laura Barton:** Lived

**Cooper Barton:** Lived

**Lila Barton:** Lived

**Nathaniel Barton:** Lived

**Cassie Lang:** Lived

**Maggie Patxon:** Dusted

**Jim Paxton:** Dusted

**Wong:** Dusted

**Thaddeus Ross:** Dusted

**Everett Ross:** Lived

**Quentin Beck:** Lived

**Jane Foster** : Lived

**Darcy Lewis:** Dusted

**Erik Selvig:** Dusted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I'm not very familiar with writing the Guardians, Hope, or Carol, so let me know if their characters seem OOC. Since they aren't doing much right now, I decided to hold off Peter Q. and Nebula's segment for chapter 3.
> 
> Question: I'm very seriously considering putting Romanogers in as a minor pairing in this story. It wouldn't be a focus, but a minor plot point for something I'm planning. Would you all be alright with that? Romanogers seems to be a fairly popular ship, but I wanted to ask.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I know it's been months, and I have two reasons for having such a long hiatus:  
> 1) This chapter did NOT want to get written. I had no clue how I wanted to write the second half, and it took me a while before I just went "screw it" and winged it. Carol Danvers and the Guardians SUCKED to write, and did not make things any easier.  
> 2) For my own mental health and sanity, I had to leave the AO3 Marvel fandom for like a month and a half. I won't say why here for sake of brevity. You can ask me why in comments if you want to know, but beware that you'll probably get a three page long, controversial, rage-filled rant.
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the hiatus. Read below and let me know what you think, good and bad!

_“_ _I fooled around and fell in love~ I fooled around and fell in love, since I met you baby...”_

Peter Quill hummed along with the song playing in the background over the _Benatar’s_ loudspeakers. Setting aside a screwdriver, he picked up the tablet once again and read through the instructions once more before returning to the communicator he was working on. 

He and Nebula had been floating aimlessly through space on the _Benatar_ for almost three weeks now. When they’d first taken off, they'd planned to go to Felucia (the closest habitable planet to Titan) to restock and figure out what to do next. Then they realized that the power cells and communications, among other systems, had been damaged in the battle on Titan, and that they were stuck flying sub-lightspeed, waiting until their oxygen supply depleted and they suffocated without oxygen.

At least, until Peter recalled the existence of some old instruction manuals buried deep in Rocket's room. Though there was nothing written on their engines (Rocket had, unsurprisingly, not needed instruction when working on that), there had been some schematics for the communications system that Peter had been able to take advantage of. They couldn’t repair everything; some parts had needed replacements not stored on the ship, but they'd managed to get the emergency broadcast going, a sort of "SOS" that anyone in the area could hear, though they hadn’t been able to repair enough to receive any responses. So for the last week, Nebula and Peter had been taking shifts monitoring the broadcast, which had a tendency to break down into corrupted coding every few hours, and making sure it was still playing.

As the last few notes of _Fooled Around and Fell in Love_ faded away, Peter tapped his Zune and replayed it once again.

"Quill, if we have to listen to this monstrosity until we die, you aren't going to go by suffocation!" Nebula called from the next room over. 

"My shift, my music!" Peter shot back. Even if Nebula didn't know it, _Fooled Around and Fell in Love_ was an old classic of his, with a lot of special meaning. If he closed his eyes he could almost see Gamora standing in front of him with his headphones on, listening to this song and almost kissing him.

But he didn’t close his eyes, instead keeping a steady watch on the communications system and forcing his mind to wonder about what had happened to Rocket and Groot. At least one of them had survived the Snap, right? With the rest of his team gone, the odds were wildly in his favor. He and Nebula couldn’t, wouldn’t be the last living members of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Nebula would probably end up killing him at some point, anyways.

For a time, Peter just sung _Fooled Around and Fell in Love_ under his breath, replaying it again once the song ended. The emergency broadcast broke down and, hardly even paying attention to the movement of his hands, he went through the motions of fixing it.

“Quill…” Nebula called once his shift was almost over, voice once again in a warning tone. 

Peter rolled his eyes and shouted back: “Not changing the music!”

“No, you idiot! Someone’s just shown up!”

“What?!”

Peter shot up, limping for a few moments as blood rushed back into his legs, then was off towards the cockpit, passing by the first few rows of seats to reach the viewport. Nebula, sitting in the co-pilot’s seat, pointed silently to their ten o’clock.

Hope swelled in his veins as he caught sight of the ship, and Peter grinned.

“That’s the _Endurance_!” He exclaimed, craning his neck to get a look at the approaching ship. “Kraglin’s ship!”

“Who?” Nebula asked blankly.

Peter looked at her oddly. “The pirate guy who helped us fight my dad, has Yondu’s old fin?” Nebula narrowed her eyes at him, still uncomprehending. “Stayed with us after the fight? Xandarian?”

“Oh.” Nebula shrugged. “Great. We’re getting rescued by _him_?”

“Better than some rogue scavengers.”

The cyborg didn’t respond to that, and Peter resisted rolling his eyes as he sat down in the pilot’s seat, steering them towards the _Endurance_. Nebula could think what she wanted. As long as Kraglin had survived the Snap and could help them find Rocket and Drax, he’d be happy. And not at risk of getting his head chopped off by a bunch of trigger-happy Ravagers. That’d be nice too.

Slowly, the two ships drifted closer, communicating via light signals since the communications system was only one-way. Once they connected, he unlocked the airlock and got up from his seat, Nebula following close behind as they moved through the hallway. Peter picked up speed once he heard the airlock open, turning a corner to see several people step on the ship.

First was Kraglin, looking as well as ever and much more confident than Peter had last seen him, though there were large bags under his eyes, indicating a lack of sleep. Two other, unfamiliar Ravagers stood on either side of him, but what really caught Peter’s attention was the woman standing off to one side. Certainly no Ravager, she looked either Xandarian or Terran, and was dressed in a blue and red jumpsuit, wavy blond hair framing her face. Their eyes met momentarily, and the woman’s lips twitched upwards, a sort of relief in her eyes.

“Quill!” Kraglin exclaimed with a grin, drawing Peter’s attention from the strange woman. “You look terrible!”

“Surviving the Snap and being stuck in space does do that to a person,” he replied vaguely, shaking Kraglin’s hand energetically. “Nebula and I here are the only ones left. To be honest, I thought we’d be drifting until we ran out of oxygen.”

“You can thank the pretty lady over there for that.” The Ravager jerked his thumb over to the blonde woman. “Found us a few days ago and was going on about finding you guys and some people named Stark, Parker, and Strange. You know where they might be?”

Peter winced, sending the woman a regretful look, but it was Nebula who broke the news first.

“We all fought Thanos together,” she said curtly, arms folded. “Peter and I are the only survivors, both out of the Guardians and the men you’re looking for.”

The woman nodded, a frown now pulling at her lips. Nevertheless, she strode forwards and stuck out a hand.

“My name is Carol Danvers,” She introduced herself as Peter shook her hand. She had a strong grip, he noted in mild surprise. “Or Captain Marvel. Steve Rogers sent me to find you.”

Peter blinked. Then blinked again.

“Steve Rogers?” It had to be a coincidence, the WWII war hero had died in—

“Or Captain America. Rogers said his name might be familiar, since you grew up on Earth.”

“Well, I’ve heard of weirder things,” Peter sighed after a moment, crossing his arms. “You came from Earth?” When Danvers nodded, he continued. “Did you see any non-natives there? A Halfworlder, looks like a racoon, and a Flora Colossus?”

“Yes.” Peter couldn’t help the relieved grin that split his face at that. “Can’t say I liked them too much. Are they part of your crew?”

“Yes, and it’s a relief to know they’re still around. They still on Earth?”

“They don’t have a ship, and I was the only one who could survive in space.”

Peter glanced at Nebula, who seemed to understand his silent question.

“Alright!” He clapped his hands together. “Kraglin, what do you think about taking us to Earth?”

* * *

Seeing the blue-green planet of his birth brought up a lot of mixed feelings in Peter. It had been nearly twenty years since he’d last been there, and memories of the place, save for the music stored in his Zune, had long since faded into blurs. He remembered his mother’s voice, but not her face; he could recall the sloping fields of Missouri with a startling clarity, but couldn’t remember the town he’d lived in.

Still, he thought as Danvers guided their ship down to where Rocket and Groot were located, his DNA _was_ half Terran. He might as well stay for a little while and get to know the place. There wasn’t much reason to go back to space with repairs on the _Benatar_ still pending—Kraglin had been kind enough to loan him the parts the ship needed _,_ but he hadn’t actually gotten to work yet, too caught up over how he was supposed to tell his team that Gamora, Drax, and Mantis were dead. Not even to mention how he was supposed to meet Captain _freaking_ America, who was somehow still alive, and explain to whoever Parker’s parents were that the kid hadn’t made it. It didn’t help that every time he looked at Nebula, all he could see was himself losing his temper and _ruining_ the chance they had to kill Thanos. 

Deep in his heart, terrified as he was to admit it, Peter knew that this whole situation had been his fault.

So, strapped into the cockpit of the _Benatar_ ** _,_** watching as the Earth grew closer and closer, Peter fidgeted. Nebula sat in her newly claimed spot in the co-pilot’s seat, and Danvers was doing her energy-thing that somehow kept her alive in space without a suit, carrying the ship through the atmosphere.

She aimed for a more rural area on the upper hemisphere of the planet, where the sun was just setting. The _Benatar_ shook on the descent, but Danvers got them down safely enough, setting them in a small field, with several buildings on one side. The ship settled into the ground with a shudder and a groan, and Peter couldn’t help but think that Rocket was going to kill him for damaging the ship.

Nebula unbuckled as the ship settled, standing up and walking out of the cockpit. When Peter couldn’t bring himself to move, she stopped and looked back at him. 

“You’re their leader, aren’t you?” She asked. “Get up and act like it.”

Then she was gone. Peter sighed for a long moment, wanting nothing more than to wake up and realize that all this had been a nightmare. 

But this was reality, and Nebula had a point. Peter unbuckled himself and left the cockpit, walking through the common room (where only three weeks before he and Gamora had stood, discussing the looming threat of Thanos) and to the exit. Nebula, by some minor miracle, had waited for him, one hand hovering over the release mechanism. Once he was at her side, she palmed open the ramp, which lowered down to the ground.

Nebula stepped down first, brushing against Peter’s arm in a subtle push for him to follow. He swallowed dryly, then followed her lead, blinking to adjust his sight to the fading light of a now-setting sun. 

People were running up to meet them. As Danvers joined them, standing off to the side, Peter watched in a sort of detached shock as Steve Rogers, in the flesh, stopped just several feet away from them, apparently the fastest runner of the bunch. His gaze went over Peter and Nebula, a mishmash of worry and resignation, then to the ramp, as if he expected some of his friends to walk down, alive and kicking.

“Quill!” Peter tore his gaze away from the historic figure now watching his ship mournfully to Rocket, with Groot right on his heels. He drew away from Captain Rogers and Nebula as they began to quietly converse, moving towards his teammates. “This probably the first and only time I’ll be happy to see you. Where is everyone?”

“I am Groot?” Groot asked mournfully, and Peter shook his head, wanting more than anything to be anywhere else at the moment.

“I’m sorry,” he said, not sure what else to say. “Our team… we weren’t lucky enough.”

Rocket looked down, saying nothing, while Groot buried his face in his hands.

“You’re Peter Quill?” Peter turned around to face Captain Rogers, who had walked over to them. Peter nodded numbly, trying not to think about how surreal this was. “Your friend Nebula says she might know where Thanos is. Mind giving us a lift there?”

* * *

If someone had told Steve two months ago that he’d be travelling across space to kill a galactic conqueror and mass murderer for a set of six stones that would revive half the universe’s population, he would’ve laughed and said that it seemed par for the course. The Avengers, after all, seemed to have a penchant for attracting this sort of trouble, whether it be fighting off an alien invasion or genocidal A.I., or even each other.

Now, though, the wonder he’d previously held at the thought of exploring space was gone, replaced by grim determination and a desire for it all to end.

Peter and Nebula had been on Earth for a week, now, with almost all their time dedicated to repairing their spaceship, the _Benatar_. Rocket had joined them, and a few days later, so had some of Wakanda's remaining scientists, who had caught on to the particulars of alien technology so quickly that it had impressed the off-worlders.

Steve, on the other hand, found himself spending restless nights going over plan after plan. He’d used the maps Quill had provided to prepare for the alien terrain, often with Natasha at his side. Together they made dozens of plans for every type of eventuality, from fighting Thanos with the power of all six Stones at his disposal, to a Thanos barely clinging to life for whatever reason. 

Five days in, Thanos used the stones again.

Rocket was the one who discovered it, catching the echoes of the stones’ power rippling past Earth, with the planet Nebula had aimed them at the epicenter. They had all been in a state of tension ever since, wondering just what had changed, and if Thanos would use the stones again.

But all was quiet, and finally, the time came when the _Benatar_ was space-worthy.

Nine of them would go, it had been decided. Rocket, Nebula, and Peter, since it was their ship, would be the pilot and co-pilots. Steve, Natasha, Wanda, T’Challa, Danvers, and Bruce would make up the rest of the team. Everyone else would remain on Earth, just in case things went south. 

But they would be fine, Steve thought as he slipped on his gauntlets the morning of that fateful day. And so would he and the rest of his companions. Their plans would work. They had to.

The other Avengers were gathered on the grassy field where the _Benatar_ was parked, standing in small groups. No one’s voice rose above a murmur, save for Rocket and Groot, in which the former was firmly repeating that _“No, you can’t come with us!_ ” and the latter retorting in various repetitions of “ _I am Groot._ ”

Steve walked up to Natasha’s side, giving her what he hoped was a reassuring nod. The assassin quirked a lip back at him, eyes steely and focused.

“This’ll work, Steve. We can do this.” She tried to reassure him, forever the diligent friend.

“Whatever it takes.” And that was all he could say. Failure hadn’t been considered in their plans, had hardly been thought of. They’d done it once before, and Steve couldn’t even bear to think of doing so again.

“Alright, folks!” Quill announced, clapping his hands. He stood at the _Benatar_ ’s entrance, with Nebula standing over his right shoulder, arms folded. “Project _Kill Thanos and Bring Back Half the Universe_ is a-go! Let’s get aboard and strap in!”

Steve and Natasha shared a glance, but in the end said nothing as they followed Quill up the ramp and into the _Benatar_. The cool morning breeze of upstate New York was replaced with the filtered, sterile air of the ship, the sun’s light fading away as the ship’s ramp closed, locking them in.

“Alright!” Rocket called, waving a hand as he led them to the cockpit. “Take you pick for a seat; we won’t be taking all day here!”

Steve frowned at that, unsure if these intergalactic seats had some hidden feature the aliens weren’t letting him be privy to, then shook his head and chose one in the second row. Natasha sat opposite him, and while the Guardians took the front seats, he could hear T’Challa, Wanda, Danvers, and Bruce take the newly-installed back seats, retractable chairs strapped against the wall. 

Well, at least seatbelts were still a thing in space. Steve managed to strap himself in without embarrassing himself too much, while the Guardians started up the ship, muttering to each other, jargon so interlaced in their speech that he couldn’t be bothered to even try to understand it. The engines rumbled to life in a dull rumble that permeated the ship, the floor shaking a bit as they lifted off the ground.

“Ha!” Rocket cheered, patting the _Benatar’s_ dashboard fondly. “Knew you could survive Quill’s piloting, baby.”

“Hey!”

“Oh, shut your mouth, Quill.” Rocket turned around, facing the Earthlings of the group as Quill took his controls, lifting them up and out of the atmosphere. “Okay, who here hasn’t been to space?”

Everyone, save for Danvers, raised their hands,

Rocket sighed as the sky ahead faded to a dark, all-encompassing black, punctuated only by a smattering of stars on the distant horizon. Steve found himself mesmerized by the surprising beauty of it. Who would’ve thought that the asthmatic kid from 1940s Brooklyn would get to see a view like this?

Bucky would have loved to see the stars like this, if it weren’t in the present circumstances.

“Great, we got a bunch of newbies,” Rocket was groaning, his words drawing Steve out of his thoughts. Danvers chuckled. “You better not throw up in my ship.”

“Don’t focus on the whirling lights, and you’ll be fine,” Quill added, pressing a few buttons as he did so. The _Benatar_ stalled in low Earth orbit, and even Steve could tell that something was happening, the faint rumble of the engines increasing to a distant roar.

“Shut up, you two,” Nebula snapped, speaking up for the first time. “Approaching jump in three….” Steve glanced over at Natasha, who was now grasping at the armrests and watching the sky ahead of them intently. “Two… one!”

The _Benatar_ lurched forwards with such force that Steve’s head was thrown back into the headrest. The starry sky in front of them divided into hexagons, and with a sudden jolt, the _Benatar_ shot into the one directly ahead of them. The sky then burst into a rainbow of light, rushing past them almost faster than he could register the colors.

Then it was over. As soon as they came, the lights were gone, and a new planet took up their sights. It was slightly larger than Earth, if Steve had to guess, with dark brown continents that took up most of the planet, with turquoise seas breaking up the land here and there.

Natasha sucked in an audible breath, though whether it was from apprehension or awe, he couldn’t tell. Steve certainly couldn’t fault her for it, watching as the planet took over the entirety of their view as Quill and Rocket lowered the ship into the atmosphere. There was small turbulence upon their entry, but nothing major, and soon the sky, once again, turned blue. The mood turned somber with it, even Rocket and Quill’s bickering fading away as they approached.

“I’ve got a lock on Thanos’ life signature,” Nebula announced. “It’s just as I thought: he’s on his own, here.” She pointed out the window, towards a small wooden hut at the base of an idyllic ridge. “See that house right there? That’s him.”

“Kind of sad for a genocidal maniac, isn’t it?” Quill commented.

“I suppose we’re still going with Plan A?” T’Challa asked, low and determined. 

“Nothing usual is coming up yet. Looks like he really did go through with that farmer idea.”

“I say we go in,” Steve put in as they lowered into a small forest, right at the base of a plateau. Quill and Rocket powered down the ship as he unstrapped himself, sharing a look with Natasha and T’Challa. “Plan A sounds good so far. If things change, you all know what to do. Danvers, you’re up.”

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Danvers grinned wryly over her shoulder, already heading out. She stepped out onto the planet, surrounded herself in her signature golden aura, and was off. 

“Rhodey, Banner, Maximoff, you three are next. The rest of you, on me!”

Said Avengers shot off, while the rest of them made their way on foot. Steve squinted against the glare of the planet’s sun as he exited the ship, Natasha on one shoulder and T’Challa on the other.

Steve would have thought the planet beautiful if he was here under other circumstances. As it was, he simply spared a passing thought to the alien flora and fauna, and led the rest of the team towards the hut. As they approached, Danvers made her attack, shooting in though the ceiling with a _bang_. A moment later, Wanda, Bruce, and Rhodey went in on the attack, none of them all too concerned about the holes they were making in the poor hut.

Steve, on the other hand, simply led them through the front door.

The main attack, at that point, was already over. Danvers had Thanos in a headlock, Wanda holding down his right arm. Bruce and Rhodey had made quick work of the gauntleted arm, which was now severed and rolled palm-up a few meters away.

This was… easier than Steve had expected, but upon closer inspection he could see why. Thanos was injured, heavily so. The left side of his body was entirely burnt up, the left side of his face a darker, more wrinkled purple than the other.

Rocket brushed past him, hurrying to the gauntlet and rolling it over.

It was empty.

“Oh, no,” he murmured, looking up at the rest of them in horror. Steve’s heart skipped a beat. They hadn’t planned for this. He shared a look with Natasha, whose expression subtly shifted into something akin to fear.

“What did you do with the Stones?!” Quill demanded, stepping forwards. He’d donned his helmet since landing, and had one of his dual pistols pointed at Thanos’ face. It shook, if one looked close enough.

“Answer the question,” Danvers added when Thanos hesitated. She twisted her arms tighter around his neck, causing him to grunt in pain.

“The universe required correction,” he finally forced out between heavy breaths. “After that, the Stones served no purpose, beyond temptation.”

“ _LIAR!_ ” Wanda roared, twisting her magic around Thanos’ arm and making him cry out in pain. “You just didn’t want anyone else to have your power! To take back the trillions of innocents you killed!”

“You will be grateful, in time” The titan replied, suddenly gentle as he turned to her. Wanda cried out in range in response, flinging him out of Danvers’ grip and to the back of the hut. There was a brief bit of silence, then, as Thanos grunted, trying to push himself into a sitting position with one working arm.

“You have no right to pity me!” She cried, tears choking her voice.

T’Challa’s helmet retracted as he stepped forwards.

“You used the stones two days ago,” he said, with an uncharacteristic shake to his voice. “For self destruction. They’re gone, aren’t they?”

“You are a smart man. They are gone. Reduced to atoms. I used the Stones to destroy the Stones. It nearly killed me, but the work is done.”

Steve’s breath caught in his throat as T’Challa let out a long, grief-filled sigh. Was this it? Had they really done everything they could?

“No, no, he has to have hidden them,” Bruce said, half-hysterical. “He has to be lying…”

“My father is many things,” Nebula interrupted him. “But he is not a liar.”

“Ah,” Thanos looked up at her, relief flitting across his features. “Thank you, daughter. Perhaps I treated you too harshly—”

_Bam bam bam!_

The gunshots caught everyone off guard, and even Steve jumped as Thanos was shot no more than three times in the head. In a split second it was over, and the Mad Titan slumped over, dead.

And slowly, everyone turned to Quill, who still had his shaking pistol pointed where Thanos’ head had once been. After an eternity (or, perhaps, only a few moments), he lowered it to his side. 

“That was for Gamora,” he whispered, staring down at Thanos’ corpse. “Unlike you, I learn my lesson, you _bastard._ ”

And then Wanda was gone, shoving past them with tears in her eyes as she left the hut, red magic flickering around her.

“Wh-what do we do now?” Natasha asked, looking up at Steve. For once, she was utterly open for the world to see, grief and unbelieving in her eyes. 

And for once, Steve didn’t have an answer.


End file.
